As George Osborne is a real-life Frank Gallagher chemically, sexually, and in terms of how many days' work he has ever done, so Lord Ashcroft is a real-life Frank Gallagher in terms of freeloading off the British taxpayer.
"I'll start paying if we win?" When your money would have won it? And when the hell is non-domicile status going to be abolished? How dare a man sit in our legislature, or any member of a party which defends him (never mind is wholly dependent on him, having little or no other source of income) do so, while claiming exemption from his civic obligations on the grounds that somewhere else is his "natural home"?
Lord Paul, by the way, only gives to Labour through a company which pays corporation tax, National Insurance and VAT here. Not ideal. But not Shameless.
David - I absolutely agree with this point, and I've been trying to do some follow up on thi, but I'm struggling to find data. Could you let me know where you found your info re (C)Ashcroft's donations to the party and their magnitude?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have a mole, so to speak. The Electoral Commissoon would have everything on his formal, personal donations to the Conservative Party as such. But based only on those, he wouldn't be a story.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I happen to know, and by indulging this story they are not even attempting to dispute, that there is far, far, far more to it than that.
I see. Because, as I'm sure you're well awae, the Electoral Commission returns show he donated just over 1% of total Conservative income over the past decade - which as you say, is almost nothing.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by your suggestion though that there are therefore massive hidden reserves held by the Conservatives (which of course there must be, because on their declared income you get to the 1% figure - so for him to be funding them so much more they must have hidden income). This strikes me as a massive story to be followed up just before the election. How can we break this?
It looks as if "we" aren't going to need to...
ReplyDeleteWhy? No one else has mentioned this! Everyone else is running with the 1% figure - but saying that even this is too much from someone who doesn't pay tax. So for him to be funding almost all of the party (70? 80? 90? maybe as much as 95%??) is *huge*
ReplyDeleteWe need more info! What can we do to get this out there? What more does your mole know?
One per cent wouldn't be a story, and the Conservative Party has always had the most astonishingly convoluted funding arrangements, especially for procuring money from overseas and for pouring money into marginal seats. Ashcroft is central to both.
ReplyDeleteIf this all blows up before the Election, then it will change the waether of British politics. And it looks increasingly as if that will happen.